Cover FX Custom Cover Drops | review

Over the years I've tried a lot of foundations - I have a really red face that's prone to blemishes, and while I don't mind going out bare faced, when I do wear make up I want it to look banging. I was in the Beauty Outlet Store in Cheshire Oaks (the outlet shopping park near me) when I spotted the Cover FX Custom Cover Drops; they had quite a few different shades available and it was around the £10 mark which is a hefty saving given that it usually retails for thirty three quid (!!!)

Cover FX Custom Cover Drops

You can use the Custom Dover Drops mixed in with moisturisers, serums, oils, other foundations etc. Whatever you want, you can mix with these drops to get the perfect level of coverage depending on what suits you and your style - the website states that the drops are not meant to be used alone. The product comes in 30 different shades, and seems to have fancy new packaging which is probably why I was able to find it in the outlet store - you can get it on BeautyBay if you're in the UK and not able to get to an outlet, though. Cover FX are a completely vegan and cruelty free brand, which is brilliant, and the products don't have all the other nasties like talc, gluten, parabens, mineral oil and more.

I wear the shade N20

Cover FX Custom Cover Drops - my experience

I picked mine up in the shade N10 (?) and it's probably a tiny bit on the orange, side but nothing too major. Now, as stated earlier, the drops aren't supposed to be used on their own - you're meant to mix them. I, for one, didn't know this and have used it on it's own quite a few times; it's full coverage and feels kind of... greasy? But looks matte? It's not awful, it just feels a bit odd - but it looks fine so if you want to use it on it's own, you do you. In terms of mixing it with other products, I've tried it mixed with a light moisturiser (nothing too thick, just your average day cream) and it looks really nice, just not as full coverage obviously. I find it lasts well and other products blend on top without any issue, and it doesn't cling to dry patches which is a dream. In the photo above, I am actually wearing it on it's own - you can see how full coverage it is, and I actually love how it looks.

For me, paying over £30 for a foundation is a bit of a no-go as I just don't think it's usually worth it when you can get such good foundations for a much lower price. There are exceptions to this rule, of course, but I don't think I'd pay full whack for the Cover FX Custom Cover Drops; a tenner is fine, and they're definitely worth that, so if you do see them in an outlet store or on offer anywhere give them a go!

Have you tried any Cover FX products? If so what did you think?

For my thoughts on the Max Factor Lasting Performance Foundation, CLICK HERE

AD | SEQuaderma |eview

Paid collaboration with SEQuaderma.

Whenever new skincare products come on the market, I'm all over it like a rash - pun intended. I have eczema and acne, which are bad enough on their own but having both is some sort of fresh hell. When the people over at SEQuaderma got in touch to ask if I wanted to review their gels I jumped at the chance.

I've tried a lot of skincare that's of a gel consistency in the past, and they've all had one thing in common: they dry my skin out like nothing else. Sahara desert levels I swear. So yeah, I was wary - but SEQuaderma isn't like that at all. It's more of a serum type of feel, and it doesn't go tacky on my skin which is lovely. There are 5 different gels in the SEQuaderma range for the treatment of: Rosacea, Atopic Eczema*, Acne*, Ageing & Thinning skin and Seborrhoeic Dermatitis. I was sent the two for eczema and acne, obv, and I was so excited to try them.

When they came through my door (actually, the post man literally opened the front door and threw the package into the house, weirdly) I ripped the envelope open immediately to get my hands on the products. I have the dreaded "backne" - which is acne on your back area, to clarify, if you've never heard the term before - and I thought I'd use the gel for acne prone skin on my back, while using the gel for red dry itchy skin on my face.

So each morning and night for the past few weeks I've been slapping SEQuaderma on my back and honestly, it's improved sO MUCH. There's no new spots at all which is incredible for me, and the ones that were there have faded to barely-visible red specks. If this was an American sit-com I'd be throwing my arms in the air and yelling RESULT!!!!

I'd had quite a bad eczema 'break out' - for want of a better phrase - on my face, so I was using coconut oil to soothe it. My dad pointed out that I hadn't reacted at all to the SEQuaderma for acne prone skin, so I decided to whack on the gel for red/dry/itchy skin on my face at bed time to see what happened. It worked a treated and by morning, a lot of the redness was gone. I wouldn't recommend it of a morning if you're in a rush, as you have to wait 15 mins and wipe it off with a damp cloth if you're planning on using any other skincare/make-up on top of it! But I've been using it at night and on make-up-free days without ever wiping it off, and it's been a joy to use.

I've got make up on but you 

can still see how much nicer

my skin is looking (imo)

Downsides - the smell. Honestly I don't know what it smells of but I don't like it one bit. But it's worth it; one pump covers my whole chubby lil face, and two pumps does the entire of the top of my back. It's full of science-y goodness that I don't fully understand; but they're focused on targeting specific symptoms and creating a barrier on your skin so it can heal. It's done a better job on my skin than most products my doctor has been shoving at me for the past 20 years, so there's that.

You can pick up any of the SEQuaderma gels from Lloyd's Pharmacy. Let me know if you've tried anything from the SEQuaderma range, or if you have any other skincare recommendations!

Want to know about facial oils? CLICK HERE

Bee Good Honey & Propolis 2-in-1 Cream Cleanser // Review

If you know anything about me, then you know how obsessed I am with bees - saving them, for the most part, and I think they're adorable. I have aaaalll the bee-friendly flowers in my garden, alongside my bee tattoo and the Alice Takes A Trip bee jumper that I'm wearing as we speak. I was already in conversation with Bee Good regarding our upcoming #NWmeet and they offered to send me something to try. I literally jumped at the chance and a few days later, their Honey & Propolis 2-in-1 cream cleanser* arrived through my door!

I am a fan of cream cleansers anyway, when I can be bothered, and after watching a load of Caroline Hirons' videos I've decided to up my skincare game. I first tried the Bee Good cleanser out with the muslin cloth that comes with it; nothing against them, they just don't work for me, but I gave it a fair shot and it did get most of my make up off. I prefer a flannel, as I find they hold heat and moisture better, but that's just me.

The cleanser smells lovely: it's only very mild, and it's so fresh. You only need a tiny squeeze to cover your whole face (I've got a big fat moon face, too) and it feels amazing on the skin. It melts away make up and leaves you feeling squeaky clean without that irritating dry and scratchy feeling. It's a star product for me - it works so much better than Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish and it hasn't *touch wood* broken me out like that one did!

Bee Good Honey & Propolis 2-in-1 Cream Cleanser retails for £11.50 and comes with a muslin cloth. It's made by good ol' British bees and the propolis is fab because of it's healing and antibacterial properties.

Have you tried anything from the Bee Good range? Let me know if you have any recommendations!

For a review of the Pixi Glow Tonic Cleansing Gel, CLICK HERE

The Body Shop Drops of Youth Bouncy Sleep Mask // Review

Such a wordy title... A few weeks ago I went along to a bloggers event at The Body Shop in Liverpool, which you may have seen my post about - click here if not! I had such a lovely time but it was hell for my bank balance, as I ended up buying a few products that I needed wanted. One of these was the Bouncy Sleep Mask from their Drops of Youth range.

I suffer from mega dry skin, and I'm always on the look out for anything that will soothe it. At first I thought this might be quite gimmicky, as it's the consistency of PVA glue and has some sort of memory foam technology. Ahhhh, science. But nevertheless I decided to give it a go, and we got a little bit of discount on the night so it seemed the perfect opportunity.

You apply the mask (which comes with tiny spoontula, which is a blend word I have just invented because it's a cross between a spoon and spatula) after the rest of your skincare routine, which for me is pretty lengthy. It's recommended that you put the mask on about 15 minutes before bed time, so it's not completely gross and sticky on your pillow. It is meant to feel quite tacky on the skin, which doesn't bother me at all!

Being pessimistic, I didn't expect much. Oh how wrong I was - the next day I woke up and was expecting my skin to feel tight, rough and dry as it usually does in the morning. But for the first time ever, it was SOFT. I'd never experienced that before, and immediately rang my mum claiming it was a miracle. It is, okay?

I went home from uni for a couple of days and, alas, forgot to take the mask with me. My skin reverted to it's red-raw self, and I kicked myself for not doing a thorough bag-check before I left the house. Luckily after a night of using it when I got back to uni, my skin was dreamy again. I still have a bit of redness on my cheeks and the usual acne on my chin, but my make up seems to be applying so much better and my skin isn't sore any more.

Honestly, I am so thrilled I found this product and I'd recommend it to anyone. If you've tried it, let me know what you thought!

Want to know about Tropic's Pure Lagoon serum? CLICK HERE

Argan Oil Night Repair Serum // Review

I've posted about the bargain range of Argan Oil products before, which you can find here. I was home from uni for the weekend and spotted a serum from the same brand on my mum's bedside table, so I immediately rushed out to buy it. And I wasn't disappointed.

The packaging reminds me a lot of the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair serum, but I've never tried that so I can't say how the two products compare. For the £1.99 price tag (if you're lucky you might be able to grab it in Poundworld too!), the packaging is super luxurious - a sturdy glass bottle with gold writing and a gold cap. It has a pipette too, which I do find sort of annoying if I'm honest, but it does look good.

The product itself is an iridescent white liquid, and it feels lovely and cooling when you apply it. It also smells divine, like the rest of the range does. I put this on after cleansing/toning and before my moisturiser, which I think works well. The moisturiser I use can be a little harsh as it's specifically for acne-sufferers, so having the serum underneath makes my skin feel protected.

When I wake up, my skin feels baby soft which was a rarity before I discovered this product! I have eczema and acne so my skin is ridiculously unbalanced, but it really seems to love this serum. While there are likely a lot better serums on the market, if you're on a budget then this is a really good one to try.

Click the links below to see some other beauty products that I love...

My favourite budget skincare products
My Pixi Beauty top 4
My experience with buying European skincare abroad
Latest in Beauty: build your own box
Tropic Pure Lagoon Serum: review

Have you tried this or anything else from the Argan Oil range? It's definitely worth picking up, and if your skin doesn't appreciate it then you haven't broken the bank!

Want to know my thoughts on Tropic's Super Greens serum? CLICK HERE